Five Podcasts Making the World a Better Place (even if that’s not what they say they are doing)
I am not going to lie to you, I had a bit of an existential crisis when I first started writing this post. What does “making the world a better place” really mean, anyhow? It can mean so many different things because there are so many small and large acts (related to such varying topics) that contribute to positive change in this world.
For this post, I decided to feature podcasts that are doing just that, even if they aren’t explicitly owning positive change as a primary function of their episodes. They aren’t the ones framed as self-care, self-help, community-care, or anything like that. Instead, they are podcasts with specific focuses that by virtue of their very execution are making the world a better place.
While there are definitely more than five doing just that, these are some of the best podcasts right now bringing us stories and conversations that need to be had and heard.
✴ Top Five Podcasts This Week
1. Reply All
At surface level, the first thing you’ll see written about this podcast is that it is one about the internet. But, as Nick Quah from Vulture says, “it’s a podcast that tells gorgeous, painfully human stories that happen to have bits of technology sprinkled in.” I agree, and I also think that it is one that provides people with information that we need to know. They do the investigative work so that we can all be more informed—and safe—from the ever-evolving technology that the powers that be give us little information about. Start with: #109 Is Facebook Spying on You?, #135 Robocall: Bang Bang.
2. Death, Sex & Money
This podcast is all about asking difficult questions and receiving hard answers. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Anna Sale is great at having uncomfortable conversations all while maintaining a non judgmental tone and approach. That is not easy to do. But, it is so necessary to encourage conversations that may often be shied away from—that way, maybe those who listen to a certain episode will not feel alone or they may even be encouraged to speak about a problem they are having with the people in their lives. Start with: Between Friends: Your Stories About Race and Friendship, Why You're Not Having Sex.
3. Code Switch
If you aren’t familiar with the term “code switch,” it essentially means alternating between different types of vernacular depending on your social setting. I most often hear it used by Black people and other people of color because, as we have learned throughout history, this has been a necessary skill for minority groups to maintain safety and navigate spaces more dominated by white people. This podcast incites necessary conversations around race and culture and also recently partnered with Death, Sex & Money to start a very important conversation around race and friendship. Start with: Ask Code Switch: What About Your Friends?, When Xenophobia Spreads Like A Virus.
4. Modern Love
Have you ever read the Modern Love column in The New York Times? This is the podcast connected with it. It shares stories from all over and from all walks of life and love. Stories can be so healing and they can be ways for community building. That’s what I think this podcast is really doing: allowing people to find connection, build empathy, and consider new perspectives. And, if that doesn’t build a better world, then what does? Start with: The Triangle's Sharpest Point | With Zawe Ashton, Take Me As I Am, Whoever I Am | With Rebecca Hall.
5. The View From Somewhere
This podcast is based off the book of the same title, written by journalist Lewis Raven Wallace. From the very first episode, my eyes were opened to the fallacy of objectivity and how often, in fact, it can be a mechanism of oppression. Wallace shares the voices of marginalized and oppressed individuals in the journalism space and why considering new ways of telling stories and sharing the news is essential to fighting white supremacy, colonialism, and patriarchy. Start with: The View from Nowhere, How Black Lives Matter Changed the News.
✴ Go Forth, Listen, and Live Better
I hope this post encourages you to listen to podcasts not just for entertainment but for the betterment of our world! It all starts with one small change with one person and the eventual ripple effect that comes from that. So, listen to them first and then share these podcasts with your friends, family, coworkers, or random people on the train who are wondering why you are laughing, crying, or intently staring into the abyss. I’m not the only one who does that, right?
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